Chronicle-Independent

09/15/2025

C-I NEWS BRIEF: Camden Fire Department to train on Lyttleton St.

According to a notification on the city of Camden's Camden Connect mobile app, the Camden Fire Department will be conducting training exercises on Lyttleton Street next to the Council on Aging between Camden City Hall and the Arts Center of Kershaw County for the next three days (today, Tuesday and Wednesday).

City officials said they appreciate the public's patience and support as firefighters sharpen their skill to better protect the community.

09/09/2025

Camden junior tight end Will Haunert strides into the end zone with this eight-yard touchdown catch from Greyson Rimpf in the third quarter of the Bulldogs’ 41-31 comeback victory over Hartsville last Friday. Catch up on a whole bunch of sports action starting on page B1 and on our website.

Camden completes strong comeback for 41-31 victory over Hartsville. Bulldogs outscore Red Foxes 27-3 in second half to secure win, move to 3-0. Coach Rimpf praises team's adjustments and offensive performance.

09/09/2025

Miss America’s United States 2025 Haylee Reign (left) and Teen Miss America’s United States Mollie Grace Laffin 2025 show off their title sashes and crowns. Both are Lugoff-Elgin High School graduates who represented South Carolina in this year’s national pageant in early August. Reign graduated in 2016, while Laffin graduated this year. Get a closer look at these winners on page A9 of today's C-I and on our website.

Lugoff-Elgin High School boasts two national pageant winners: Miss America's United States, Haylee Reign, and Miss Teen America's United States, Mollie Grace Laffin. Reign, a mother of two, champions autism support through Piece by Piece organization.

09/09/2025

During its meeting today, Kershaw County Council will take up first reading, by title only, of an ordinance updating the county’s 10-year comprehensive plan. Doing so by title only means that council will likely discuss very few, if any, details until second reading during council’s next meeting on Sept. 23. A public hearing on the comprehensive plan updates will also take place at the Sept. 23 meeting. Third reading is scheduled for Oct. 14. Read the rest of the story in today's C-I and on our website.

Kershaw County Council to review 10-year comprehensive plan and multi-county business park ordinance updates. Public hearings scheduled for Sept. 23 and third reading on Oct. 14.

09/09/2025

In this screenshot from the YouTube livestream of the Kershaw County Board of School Trustees’ Sept. 2 meeting, trustees (in the foreground) and district staff (center) give district teachers and principals a standing ovation after a presentation of SC Ready and end-of-course data showing substantial improvements in meeting and exceeding state standards and passage rates. Learn more in today's C-I and on our website.

Kershaw County School District excels in recent SC Ready and end-of-course testing. Overall growth and improvements evident district-wide thanks to hard work and dedication of teachers, students, and staff.

09/09/2025

Phil Linder, a planning consultant for the city of Camden, gives Camden City Council a report about information gathered from the public earlier this year about how residents want the city to grow during its meeting on Sept. 2. Camden Planning and Development Director Shawn Putnam then gave a rundown on a number of updates to the city’s comprehensive plan and land development regulations council voted through, ending the city’s moratorium on residential development.

The city of Camden will lift its residential construction moratorium on Sept. 30, coinciding with City Council's final readings on updated Housing and Land Use ordinances. The moratorium allowed for public input, with nearly 1,000 residents participating to shape the regulatory changes.

09/09/2025

A car passes in front of the former First Palmetto Bank building on East DeKalb Street in Camden between Market and Lyttleton streets on Sept. 3 — the day after Camden City Council voted to approve the purchase of the property for $2.2 million in order to move all city administrative services there. The Camden Police Department, in turn, will move from its current home at Gordon and West DeKalb streets to city hall, which will be extensively renovated for that purpose. No timeline for the moves has been announced. Read about the upcoming moves in today's front page story from the C-I and our website.

Camden City Council approves $2.2 million purchase of First Palmetto Bank building in downtown Camden for governmental hub, including police department relocation. The move will streamline services, enhance accessibility, and modernize facilities.

09/07/2025

C-I NEWS ALERT

The power outage many folks in Camden are experiencing appears to be the same circuit and area as the last time a couple of weeks ago.

See the post from the city of Camden’s page shared here.

We are aware of a power outage currently affecting the area from Mill Street to Gordon Street, and Walnut to Chesnut. This outage is on the Laurens Circuit out of the DeKalb Substation.

Our team is actively investigating the cause and working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Updates will be provided as soon as additional information is available.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

09/05/2025

C-I BREAKING NEWS: Sidewalks to be closed in downtown Camden for hotel construction pending final SCDOT approval

The city of Camden just sent out the following press release concerning sidewalk closures in conjunction with construction work for the new Haigler Hotel in the Clock Tower Building:

The city of Camden announces temporary sidewalk closures beginning Monday (Sept. 8) as construction commences on the new Haigler Hotel in downtown Camden.

Affected Areas:

• South Broad Street in front of the future Haigler Hotel site
• Rutledge Street along the side of the building

Temporary construction fencing will block off sidewalks in these areas to ensure public safety during construction activities. In addition, new temporary signage will be installed to direct pedestrians to alternative handicap parking locations.

"Please observe all signage in the area as our number one priority during construction is to keep our community and construction personnel safe at all times," said Shawn Putnam, Planning & Development Director for the city.

All closures are pending South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) final approval. At this time, the planned closures represent the anticipated construction impact areas.

The city of Camden appreciates the public's patience and understanding as this exciting new project gets underway. The Haigler Hotel will be a valuable addition to our downtown district.

For updates on construction progress and any additional traffic impacts, residents are encouraged to monitor the city of Camden's official communications channels.

09/04/2025

A NOTE TO CUSTOMERS/ADVERTISERS

Our phones are not working properly at this time. If you need to contact one of us at our Market Street offices in Camden, please email us at one of the following addresses:

News: [email protected]
Sports: [email protected]
Advertising: [email protected]

Thank you!

09/02/2025

Camden wide out Isaiah Smith had catches of 39 and 40 yards, in successive plays, in Camden’s scoring drive in the waning seconds of the first half in Friday’s 35-14 win over Lugoff-Elgin. Catch up on all the action and more sports news staring on page B1 (find it with the advertising circulars) and on our website.

It was almost like watching a TV Land re-run which was on a continuous loop.